Tupelo School District considers earlier start date

TUPELO – Tupelo students could start as early as Aug. 4 under a new draft of the 2010-11 school calendar that is now being considered by the district’s school board.
The board is expected to select next year’s school schedule March 9.
Under the new draft, students would receive holidays for Columbus Day (Oct. 11) and Presidents Day (Feb. 21). In the other draft, students would begin class Aug. 6 and would not receive either of those holidays.
Both plans call for class to end on May 20, the date of the district’s graduation.
At its Feb. 2 meeting, the board was given two drafts to consider. Both had Aug. 6 as the first day of class, and the plan with the Columbus Day and Presidents Day holidays ended the year on May 24. That plan was scrapped so that the year would end on the same day Tupelo High School has its graduation.
The plans would both be subject to change if new state legislation were passed that requires schools to begin the year after Labor Day or that changes the number of required days for students or teachers.

Contact Chris Kieffer at (662) 678-1590 or at chris.kieffer@djournal.com.